"She  Hath  Done  What  She  Could" 
A  Sermon 


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Collection  of  jRottl)  Catoliniana 

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MtV  1  7  198S 


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"SHE  HATH  DONE  WHAT  SHE  COULD." 


RALEIGH,  N.  C. 

Printed  by  Seaton  Gales, 
1851. 


"SHE  HATH   DONE  WHAT   SHE  COULD," 


OR    THE 


DUTY  AND  RESPONSIBILITY  OF  WOMAN; 


A   SERMON, 


PREACHED  IN  THE  CHAPEL  OF  ST.  MARY'S  SCHOOL 


BY    THE    RECTOR, 


AND  PRINTED  FOR  THE  PUPILS  AT  THEIR  REQUEST. 


RALEIGH: 

Printed  by  Seaton  Gales. 

1851. 


"Favour  is  deceitful,  and  beauty  is 
vain;  but  a  woman  that  feareth  the 
Lord,    shall    be    praised.." 

Prov.  31:  xxx. 


<* 


^1% 


~3& 


Wk 

m 


"  She  hath  done  what  she  could." 

St.  Mark,  I4th  Chap.  8th  Verse. 

This  encomium  was  bestowed  upon  a  female  disciple  of 
the  Saviour  for  a  special  act  of  love  and  devotion.  She 
had  poured  upon  his  head  a  box  of  Ointment  of  Spikenard, 
very  precious ;  and  when  she  was  rebuked  for  the  apparent 
waste,  our  gracious  Saviour  not  only  vindicated  his  shrink- 
ing daughter  from  the  charge,  but  cheered  her  affectionate 
heart,  and  commended  to  imitation  her  generous  zeal,  in  the 
all-expressive  eulogy,  "  She  hath  done  what  she  could." 

Attractive  as  is  the  contemplation  thus  afforded  of  af- 
fectionate zeal  and  devotion  on  the  one  hand,  and  of  infi- 
nite grace  and  condescension  on  the  other,  I  propose  to  in- 
vite your  attention  to  a  more  general  subject,  very  natu- 
rally suggested  by  the  words  of  the  text,  and  not,  I  trust, 
without  important  practical  application  and  interest. 

I  purpose,  then,  to  consider  the  duties  and  responsibili- 
ties of  a  woman,  —  thus  showing,  not  only  what  she  can 
do,  but  what  she  must  do,  if  she  would  be  entitled  to  the 
commendation,  "  She  hath  done  what  she  could." 


SHE  HATH  DONE   WHAT  SHE  COULD. 

To  treat  a  subject  of  such  fulness  in  the  most  brief  and 
direct  manner,  let  us  consider,  1st,  what  a  woman  can  do, 
and,  therefore,  what  she  should  endeavor  to  do,  in  the  pe- 
riod of  her  life,  which  precedes  her  entrance  upon  the  rela- 
tions of  wife  and  mother. 

These  relations  are  so  interesting  and  momentous,  that, 
at  the  mention  of  female  duty  and  responsibility,  they  im- 
mediately arise  in  the  mind,  and  almost  engross  it. 

What  injustice  is  thus  done  to  our  subject,  let  the  lives 
of  those  faithful  women  testify,  who  have  voluntarily  fore- 
gone these  tender  relations,  that,  unembarrassed  by  any 
selfish  cares,  they  might  pursue  their  unwearied  path  of 
I  benevolence  amid  the  private  dwellings  of  poverty,  of  sick- 
ness, and  of  ignorance,  or  in  the  Institutions  which  public 
charity  has  opened  for  the  alleviation  of  human  woe. 

But  without  insisting  upon  a  measure  of  Christian  self- 
sacrifice,  that  certainly  cannot  be  generally  demanded  of 
the  sex,  however  beautiful  in  the  sight  of  men,  and  accept- 
able in  the  sight  of  God,  it  may  be  in  particular  instances, 
we  may  find  in  the  period  of  a  woman's  life,  which  we  are 
considering,  much  that  she  can  do  to  promote  the  glory  of 
God,  and  diffuse  happiness  around  her. 

Even  in  her  early  youth,  what  essential  aid  may  an  af- 
fectionate daughter  render  to  a  mother,  "  cumbered,"  per- 
haps, and  overburthened  with  the  cares  of  her  household. 
By  her  assiduous  attentions  towards  her  younger  brothers 
and  sisters,  by  the  aid  she  may  give  them  in  their  lessons 
and  in  their  sports,  by  the  gentle  supervision  and  restraint 
she  may  exercise  over  them  in  the  absence  of  the  maternal 
eye,  by  the  beautiful  example  she  may  afford  them,  of  obe- 
dience and  filial  duty,  by  her  sympathy  and  assistance  in 
their  little  troubles  and  sorrows,  and  by  supplying  her  mo- 
ther's place  in  other  departments  of  the  household,  super- 
intending, or  performing,  as  the  case  may  be,  those  domes- 
tic offices,  which  only  a  woman's  hand  can  execute,  and 
on  the  fulfilment  of  which,  domestic  happiness  and  comfort 


SHE  HATH  DONE   WHAT  SHE   COULX).  j 

so  much  depend,  how  may  a  Christian  daughter  repay  the 
care  aud  pains  of  which  her  own  childhood  was  the  object 
— revive  and  rejoice  the  hearts  of  her  parents,  when  they 
droop  with  weariness  and  anxiety,  and  almost  justify  their 
exulting  sentiment,  "  Many  daughters  have  done  virtuous- 
ly, but  thou  excellest  them  all." 

But  from  the  peculiar  position  of  a  woman  at  this  period 
of  her  life,  a  very  serious  responsibility  is  often  thrown 
upon  her  for  the  due  employment  of  her  time. 

The  young  man  is  very  early  apprenticed  to  the  business 
or  profession  he  is  to  pursue  for  a  maintenance ;  and  in  the 
studies  or  labors  exacted  by  this  preparation,  he  finds 
wholesome  and  constant  occupation. 

But  how  often  has  the  young  woman  many  hours  of 
every  day  at  her  command  —  hours  not  seldom  lost  through 
indolence,  frittered  away  in  dress,  and  vanity  or  gossip,  or, 
worse  than  all,  consumed  in  the  perusal  of  works  of  fiction, 
generally  of  a  light  and  enervating,  sometimes  even  of  a 
corrupt  and  debasing  character. 

How  much  in  these  hours  might  one,  seriously  disposed 
to  do  what  she  could,  accomplish  for  her  own  mental  im- 
provement, by  such  reading  and  studies,  as  will  fit  her, 
not  only  to  sustain  well  her  part  in  general  society,  but  to 
discharge,  with  grace  and  intelligence,  the  engrossing  du- 
ties of  her  after  life,  which  leave  so  little  time  for  the  pur- 
suits of  taste  and  literature. 

In  her  hours  of  social  intercourse,  how  much  may  even 
a  young  woman,  if  she  be  pious  and  intelligent,  effect,  in 
giving  grace  and  dignity  to  the  tone  of  conversation  —  in 
repressing  the  effusions  of  scandal,  or  the  ridicule  of  se- 
rious things  ;  in  a  word,  in  rendering  virtue  and  goodness 
fascinating,  by  the  attractive  association  in  which  they  are 
presented.  Indeed,  I  must  be  permitted  here  to  say,  that  a 
high  standard  of  female  refinement,  intelligence  and  piety, 
is  the  best,  perhaps  the  only,  security  for  similar  qualities 
in  men. 


p 


SHE   HATH  DONE   WHAT  SHE   COULD. 


Let  the  fop  and  the  profligate  —  the  unintelligent  drudge 
in  business  and  slave  of  Mammon,  find  access  to  the  smiles 
and  esteem  of.  our  daughters,  as  readily  as  the  man  of  ap- 
proved virtue  and  cultivated  mind,  and  one  of  the  strongest 
stimulants  to  industry  and  self-denial  will  be  removed,  by 
the  thoughtless  and  reckless  bestowal  of  the  fairest  earthly 
prize.  Surely  in  this  view,  a  very  serious  responsibility 
attaches  to  early  womanhood. 

Nor  in  another  social  view,  is  it  less  burdened.  At  no 
period  of  life,  is  a  woman  more  at  liberty  to  exercise  to- 
wards the  poor,  the  ignorant,  and  the  distressed,  those 
<J  offices  of  love,  which  so  well  become  her  sex,  and  which 
£  she  can  discharge  without  overstepping  the  limits  of  the 
J>  most  shrinking  modesty.  She  must  be  singularly  circum- 
l  stanced,  indeed,  who  has  not,  within  her  own  knowledge, 
some  humble  pensioner,  to  whom  she  can  carry  a  cup  of 
cold  water,  or  a  more  substantial  tribute,  while  she  admin- 
isters what,  often,  is  more  highly  valued  by  the  object  of 
her  bounty  —  the  looks  and  words  of  sympathy  and  kind- 
ness. 

Without  dwelling  in  detail  upon  every  method,  in  which 
a  faithful  daughter  of  the  Church,  by  pious  labors,  and  un- 
obtrusive zeal,  may  render  efficient  service  to  her  Divine 
Master,  I  must,  at  least,  specify  and  urge  the  claims  of  one 
—  I  allude  to  the  instruction  of  the  ignorant.  This  is  a 
duty  which  might  be  enforced  upon  selfish  motives,  alone. 
Nothing  is  more  true,  than  that,  "  teaching,  we  learn." 
The  very  best  method  of  systematizing  and  arranging  our 
knowledge  —  of  rendering  its  impression  accurate,  clear, 
and  deep,  and  of  realizing  its  value,  so  as  to  be  stimulated 
to  new  acquisitions,  is  to  endeavor  to  impart  it  to  others. 
And  the  exercise  of  patience  and  forbearance  —  in  a  word, 
the  self- discipline  required  of  a  teacher,  is  the  best  possible 
preparation  of  a  woman  for  the  peculiar  duties  of  her  after 
years. 

In  this  connection,  the  labors  of  the  Sunday  School  will 


SHE  HATH  HONE  WHAT    SHE  COULD.  7> 

immediately  occur  to  you.  And  well  they  may:  for  if  the  < 
Pastor  cannot  look  to  the  young  women  of  his  charge,  for  > 
their  devoted  assistance  in  the  care  of  the  lambs  of  his  ? 
flock,  from  whom  else  can  he  hope  for  such  aid  ?  < 

But  I  am  not  willing  to  limit  to  a  single  day  of  the  week,  s 
the  opportunity  which  many  young  women  may  have  of  > 
doing  good  in  this  best,  this  doubly-blessing  way.  What  is 
to  prevent  their  devotion  to  this  work  of  a  portion  of  every 
day  of  the  week  ?  Is  it  the  want  of  time  ?  How  many 
of  their  hours,  not  employed  for  purposes  necessary  or 
useful,  nay,  perhaps  passed  in  listless  apathy,  or  frivolous 
pursuits,  cry  out  against  this  excuse !  Is  it  for  want  of 
pupils  ?  To  say  nothing  of  the  opportunity  of  improving 
themselves  and  benefitting  others,  which  public  institutions 
for  the  education  of  their  sex  would  gladly  afford,  what 
neighborhood  would  not  furnish  numbers  who  are  growing 
up  in  ignorance  and  vice,  in  whose  destiny  an  hour  or  two 
per  day  of  such  instruction,  such  counsel,  such  sympathy, 
as  an  intelligent  christian  woman  could  impart,  could  make 
all  the  difference  there  is  between  vice  and  virtue,  despair 
and  hope,  misery  and  happiness,  Hell  and  Heaven  !  Nay, 
in  a  community  like  ours,  where  we  are  surrounded  in  such 
numbers  by  servants  born  in  our  own  house,  and  looking 
up  to  us  for  the  supply  of  eveiy  want,  surely  the  pious 
daughter  need  not  go  far,  perhaps  not  beyond  the  precincts 
of  her  own  abode,  to  find  suitable  objects  of  her  benevo- 
lence, whose  tender  years,  without  transgressing  any  human 
law,  and  in  the  most  angelic  fulfilment  of  the  divine  law  of 
love  for  all  mankind,  she  might  imbue  with  those  lessons  of 
piety,  and  those  sound  words  of  scripture,  and  of  prayer, 
which,  while  they  would  make  them  more  faithful  servants 
of  their  masters  upon  earth,  might  also  invest  them  with 
the  freedom  of  the  skies. 

If  I  have  said  enough  on  this  portion  of  the  subject  to 
make  you  feel  how  much  is  left  unsaid,  I  am  content,  as 
the  time  compels  to  pass  to  the  duties  of  a  female  in  the 
relations  of  wife  and  mother. 


I  SHE  HATH  DONE  WHAT  SHE  COULD. 

„    ™~~~  —    _~—~™~™,     _„„„„~~~™    „,„„  .„„  j 

And  here  I  may  say  distinctly,  what  is  perhaps  implied 
in  a  preceding  remark,  that  a  woman  who  has  given  her 
heart  and  her  hand,  herself  and  her  all,  in  the  holy  estate 
of  matrimony,  to  a  man,  in  whose  moral  and  religious  in- 
tegrity she  has  not  good  reason  to  confide,  has  in  one  of 
the  points  most  essential  to  her  own  welfare,  and  the  good 
of  the  community,  failed  to  do  what  she  could,  and  exposed 
herselt  to  the  severest  retribution.  One  of  the  first  con- 
ditions of  ths  married  state  is,  that  the  desire  of  the  wife 
shall  be  to  her  husband,  and  that  he  shall  rule  over  her  ? 
"  Wives."  says  St.  Peter,  "  be  in  subjection  to  your  own 
husbands,  even  as  Sarah  obeyed  Abraham,  calling  him 
Lord."  "  The  Husband,"  says  St.  Paul,  "  is  the  head  of 
the  wife,  even  as  Christ  is  the  head  of  the  Church."  How 
important  then,  nay  how  imperative,  is  it,  that,  in  taking 
the  step  which  links  her  "  for  better,  for  worse,  till  death  do 
them  part,"  to  one  who  is  henceforward  to  be  "  the  disposer 
of  her  destiny,"  she  should  be  influenced  more  by  a  regard 
to  the  moral  and  intellectual  qualities,  which,  in  her  guide 
and  head,  she  can  honor  and  reverence,  than  to  his  posses- 
sion of  personal  attractions,  or  incidental  advantages,  how- 
ever great  and  desirable.  But  we  know  that  Satan  himself 
may  assume  for  his  own  purposes,  the  form  of  an  angel  of 
light.  We  need  not  wonder  then,  that  the  unsuspecting 
affections  of  a  woman  are  sometimes  gained,  before  the 
darker  shades  in  the  character  of  their  object  are  discover- 
ed, and  thus  he  becomes  possessed  of  the  power  and  rights 
of  a  husband,  who  scarce  deserves  the  name  of  a  man.  It 
is  also  too  true,  that  many  who  are  thus  disappointed  in 
their  dearest  hopes,  are  the  victims  of  a  sinful  infatuation, 
or  a  criminal  neglect.  But  however  this  may  be,  the  ar- 
rangement which  consigns  a  woman  to  the  authority  and 
to  the  mercy  of  a  man  who  has  no  sympathy  in  her  holiest 
feelings — who  may  be  disposed  to  set  before  his  family  and 
society  an  example  of  irreligion  and  immorality  —  who  may 


SHE  HATH  DONE  WHAT    SHE  COULD. 

even  drown  his  reason  in  the  drunkard's  bowl,  and  vent 
upon  the  woman  he  has  sworn  to  cherish  the  insane  excite- 

<  ment  of  his  mirth,  or  the  morbid  dejection  and  nervous 
>  irritability  of  which  he  has  become  the  prey,  till  his  rightful 
?    authority  degenerates  into  a  brutal  tyranny,  and  her  wed- 

<  ded  life  becomes  a  prolonged  martyrdom,  this  arrangement 
s    is  often  the  severest  test  of  what  a  woman  can  do,  who  is 

imbued  with  the  love  of  God,  and  sustained  by  his  grace. 
And  even  without  the  supposition  of  an  extreme  case,  it 
may  be  said* that  the  little  faults  in  the  temper,  habits,  or 
manners  of  a  husband,  which  the  intimacy  of  married  life 
reveals  to  the  eyes  of  a  wife,  and  the  little  but  perpetual 
trials  to  which  she  may  be  thus  constantly  subjected,  serve 
to  bring  out  into  beautiful  relief  some  of  the  most  valuable 
and  difficult  graces  a  Christian  can  cultivate  or  exhibit. 
Thus,  the  patience,  the  humility,  the  meekness,  the  long- 
suffering,  the  heavenly-mindedness,  which  our  blessed  reli- 
gion requires  and  originates,  become  most  favorably  known 
to  the  husband,  and  address  him  in  the  most  winning  and 
persuasive  manner.  And  here,  it  seems  to  me,  is  indicated 
the  most  important  duty  of  the  Christian  wife.  From  na- 
tural temperament,  and  the  circumstances  of  her  daily  life, 
she  is  more  sensitive  than  her  husband  to  the  appeals  of 
religion,  and  less  exposed  to  the  dangers  and  temptations 
of  the  world.  While,  then,  it  should  be  her  endeavor  to 
render  the  home  of  her  husband  a  place  of  rest  from  the 
toils  of  business — of  comforts  amid  the  disappointments  of 
life — of  cheerful  recreation  amid  its  cares — it  should  be 
especially  her  effort  to  make  it  the  residence  of  purity  and 
piety.  Against  anger,  clamor,  wrath,  bitterness,  evil-speak- 
ing, murmurs,  discontent,  reproaches,  and  complainings, 
the  door  should  be  effectually  shut ;  while  for  meekness 
gentleness,  resignation,  forbearance,  hope,  peace  and  joy, 
there  should  be  an  abundant  entrance,  and  a  perpetual 
welcome !  In  this  way,  may  the  Christian  wife  often  be- 
come the  minister  to  her  husband's  salvation.  She  may  be 
2 


>10  SHE  HATH  D0NE  WHAT  SHE  COULD; 

to  him,  at  all  times,  a  preacher  of  righteousness,  improving 
every  event  of  sorrow  or  of  joy,  into  some  delightful  lesson 
of  Christian  patience,  or  gratitude,  or  moderation.  Not 
that  she  will  seize  every  opportunity  of  inculcating  in  lan- 
guage the  truths  and  precepts  of  the  gospel,  or  ever  obtrude 
in  an  offensive  manner  her  remonstrances  and  appeals. 
The  preaching  of  the  wife  to  be  effectual,  and  "  to  win  the 
husband,"  must  be  simply  her  faithful  exhibition  in  all  her 
conduct  of  the  beauty  and  heavenly  influence  of  religion. 
It  should  appear  in  her  subjection  to  her  husband's  author- 
ity, in  her  affectionate  attachment  to  him,  and  her  evident 
wish  to  make  him  happy.  It  should  be  seen  in  the  cheer- 
ful discharge  of  her  domestic  duties,  in  her  maternal  solici- 
tude, especially  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  her  offspring; 
in  her  mild  and  christian,  but  watchful  and  careful  control 
of  her  household,  consulting  by  a  wise  economy  the  inter- 
ests of  her  husband,  and  by  a  just  distribution  the  comfort 
and  happiness  of  her  dependants  and  servants ;  in  her  for- 
bearance towards  the  involuntary  faults  of  the  latter,  her 
pains  and  patience  in  teaching  them  their  duties,  and  the 
anxiety  she  manifests  for  their  moral  and  religious  improve- 
ment ;  in  her  performance  of  the  gentle  offices  of  charity 
towards  her  neighbors  ;  in  her  assiduous  endeavors  to  avail 
herself  of  all  the  public  services  of  the  sanctuary ;  in  her 
evident,  though  unobtrusive  attention  to  the  private  and 
most  sacred  duties  of  religion,  and  in  the  sacrifices  she  is 
willing  to  make  of  personal  or  domestic  display,  that  she 
may  have  to  give,  and  may  enable  and  persuade  her  hus- 
band to  give  bountifully  of  his  means,  towards  the  labors 
of  christian  benevolence,  and  especially  towards  the  exten- 
sion of  the  Redeemer's  Kingdom.  It  is  well  known,  that 
many,  who  in  their  matrimonial  arrangements  have  thought 
only  for  their  present  happiness,  have  thus  found  in  their 
believing  wives  the  ministers  to  their  everlasting  bliss. 
What  responsibility  is  thus  thrown  upon  the  christian  wo- 
man ?     If  she  does  what  she  can  in  this  most  interesting 


SHE    HATH    ©ONE    WHAT    SHE    60ULB.  11; 

relation,  she  may  be  the  light,  the  joy,  the  salvation,  of  her 
husband  and  household;  but  if  she  is  recreant  lo  her  obli- 
gations— if  the  wife  is  a  deserter  of  her  taith  and  its  duties, 
the  last  hope,  I  had  almost  said,  of  husband  and  family,  is 
gone  forever ! 

It  is  however  in  the  relation  of  mother,  that  female  in- 
fluence is  most  powerfully  felt,  and  may  be  most  effectually 
exerted  for  the  welfare  of  its  immediate  objects  and  of  so- 
ciety,    dflfe 

As  the  clay  is  in  the  hands  of  the  potter,  so,  it  may  almost 
be  said,  are  the  hearts  of  her  children,  under  the  discipline 
of  a  pious  and  intelligent  mother.  Their  first  and  deepest 
impressions  are  derived  from  her.  Her  constant  presence 
with  them  in  their  most  tender  years,  affords  her  every  op- 
portunity of  moulding  their  character  almost  as  she  will. 

If  then  she  is  fitted  by  piety  and  intelligence  for  her  vo- 
cation, and  does  what  she  can,  she  may  train  her  sons  and 
daughters  in  those  ways  of  wisdom  and  paths  of  peace, 
which  terminate  in  the  land  of  everlasting  life. 

Surely  it  need  not  be  urged  that  this  is  the  duty  of  a 
Christian  Mother ;  that  looking  upon  her  offspring  as  im- 
mortal beiags  committed  during  their  earliest  and  most  de- 
pendent years  to  her  special  guardianship,  she  ought  to 
spare  no  pains,  to  shrink  from  no  self-denial,  to  employ 
every  persuasion  of  love,  every  influence  of  authority,  eve- 
ry argument  of  reason,  every  aid  of  the  imagination,  every 
provision  of  the  Church,  by  which,  she  may  be  enabled  to 
secure  for  her  children  the  unspeakable  blessings  of  the 
Gospel  of  Christ. 

What  disappointment  and  trials  will  wring  the  mother's 
heart,  what  constant  need  she  will  find  for  the  exercise  of 
every  christian  grace,  and  above  all  for  fervent  prayer, 
for  undying  patience,  and  implicit  faith,  they  only  can  tell, 
who  have  been  the  most  earnestly  engaged  in  this  noblest 
work  of  woman.  But  it  is  her  duty  to  persevere  ;  and  she 
shall  have  her  reward. 


>12  SHE    HATH    DONE    WHAT    SHE    COULD. 

Having  trained  her  children  "  in  the  way  they  should 
go,"  she  may  be  assured  they  "  will  not  depart  from  it." 
If  her  life  is  prolonged  upon  the  earth,  she  will  see  them 
beloved  and  honored  in  society,  and  anxious  by  every  filial 
assiduity  to  evince  how  entirely  they  attribute  to  her,  the 
esteem  and  favor  they  enjoy  ;  and  whenever  she  may  be 
called  fjrom  her  labors  here,  she  may  bid  them  adieu  in  the 
firm  and  blessed  hope,  that  they  will  be,  "  her  joy  and  crown 
of  rejoicing,"  in  the  presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  at 
his  coming. 

Though  I  have  spoken  only  of  the  religious  influence  of 
a  mother  over  her  children,  it  is  obvious,  how  much  their 
taste,  and  manners,  and  general  character  must  depend 
upon  her  plastic  hand.  Nay,  is  it  not  unfrequently  the 
case  from  the  isolated  position  of  the  families  in  a  country 
so  extensive  as  ours,  and  particularly  in  the  newer  portions 
of  it,  that  the  only  dependence  of  children,  and  especially 
of  daughters,  for  instruction  of  every  sort,  during  many  of 
the  most  important,  because  the  most  impressible  years  of 
their  life,  is  upon  their  mother.  Burdened  as  she  is,  under 
such  circumstances,  with  every  care  that  can  occupy  a 
house-keeper,  obliged  to  do  with  her  own  hands,  what  in 
more  settled  districts  the  division  of  labor  assigns  to  many 
—  what  physical  endurance,  what  exhaustless  energy,  what 
triumphant  patience,  what  wise  economy  of  time  and  of  re- 
sources, must  that  mother  exercise,  who,  amid  all  her  other 
duties,  yet  considers  every  day  as  lost,  of  which  a  part  is 
not  devoted  to  the  education  of  her  children. 

Is  the  picture  too  highly  wrought  to  be  realized  in  our 
selfish  and  sinful  world  ?  Are  the  powers  of  the  mother 
taxed  beyond  their  strength  in  this  representation  ?  Per- 
haps, my  brethren,  any  capabilities  but  those  of  a  mother 
would  fail  under  such  requirements.  But  they  are  no  more 
than  a  mother  can  fulfil ;  they  are  no  more  than  mothers, 
within  my  own  knowledge,  have  fulfilled,  and  are  now  ful- 
filling ;  the}'  are  no  more  than  every  mother  in  similar  cir- 


} 


SHE  HATH  DONE  WHAT  SHE  COULD.  13 


cumstances  must  fulfil,  if  she  would  discharge  acceptably 
her  high  and  holy  mission,  and  be  entitled  to  the  commen- 
dation, "She  hath  done  what  she  could." 

1  have  touched,  my  brethren,  upon  some  of  the  more  ob- 
vious heads  of  female  duty  and  responsibility.  Much  more 
remains  unsaid ;  yet  meagre  as  the  outline  is,  it  must  be 
sadly  felt,  how  seldom,  in  actual  life,  it  is  filled  out. 

Of  the  young,  how  many  are  the  mere  votaries  of  fash- 
ion and  pleasure !  Of  wives,  how  many  are  the  willing 
companions  of  their  husbands,  in  a  life  of  worldly  extrava- 
gance and  vanity !  Of  mothers,  how  many  are  there,  who 
even  foster  the  passions  and  habits  in  their  children,  which 
are  sure  to  lead  to  their  ruin  ! 

And  why  may  these,  and  numerous  similar  questions,  be 
asked  with  such  mortifying  effect  ?  Alas,  my  brethren,  the 
answer  reveals  a  radical  error.  The  true  mission  of  wo- 
man has  not  been  generally  felt  and  understood.  The  con-  s 
trolling  and  sanctifying  influence  she  can  exert,  has  not  been  > 
appreciated ;  what  she  can  do  to  refine,  and  elevate,  and  < 
bless  mankind,  has  not  been  properly  estimated  ;  and  she  ) 
has,  therefore,  been  sent  forth  on  her  high  vocation,  too 
often  entirely  ignorant  of  its  responsibilities,  and  utterly 
unfitted  to  discharge  them. 

What  is  the  process  that  is  too  frequently  considered  an 
adequate  preparation  of  a  woman  for  the  duties  and  re- 
sponsibilities under  which  she  lies  ? 

A  young  girl,  between  the  period  of  infancy  and  that  of 
early  youth,  is  allowed  to  acquire  such  secular  knowledge 
and  accomplishments,  as  may  be  conveniently  attained  in 
a  desultory  attendance  at  school,  and  such  religious  infor- 
mation as  is  comprised  in  a  few  formularies,  sacred  hymns 
and  verses  in  the  Bible,  all  in  themselves  most  excellent, 
but  taught  without  unction,  acquired  without  interest,  and 
often  as  the  penalty  for  misconduct,  and.  therefore,  exerting 
no  favorable  practical  influence.  Having  reached  the  age 
at  which  she  begins  to  understand  what  she  reads,  and  ap- 
preciate what  she  learns,  and  having  acquired  some  ele- 


)H  SHE    HATH    DONE    WHAT    SHE    COULD. 

mentary  acquaintance  with  books  in  her  own  tongue — a 
few  phrases  of  a  foreign  language — a  few  tunes  upon  an 
instrument  of  music — and,  perhaps,  the  ability  to  sketch  a 
rose,  or  copy  a  landscape,  she  is  permitted  to  enter  society. 
In  this  sphere,  without  any  prescribed  course  of  reading, 
or  study,  with  very  few  restraints  upon  her  liberty,  she  is 
allowed  to  amuse  herself,  till  her  affections  and  hand  being 
engaged,  she  is  led  to  the  matrimonial  altar.  In  this  new 
relation,  the  deep  feelings  of  conjugal  and  maternal  love  — 
the  experience  she  acquires  by  her  daily  mistakes  and  trials 
—  the  efforts  she  may  make  to  repair  the  past,  and  to  fulfil 
the  duties  which  she  sees  to  be  growing  around  her — the 
judicious  counsels  of  friends,  and  the  enlightening  grace  of 
God,  operating  through  these  and  other  means,  may  save 
the  wife  and  mother,  the  husband  and  children  from  the 
destiny  that  seemed  so  immiment. 

But  how  much  more  naturally  —  alas,  how  much  more 
ordinarily,  does  it  result  from  such  a  union,  that  the  most 
solemn  duties,,  assumed  without  reflection  or  preparation, 
indeed  without  any  adequate  conception  of  their  existence, 
are  utterly  neglected,  and  another  generation  arises,  having 
no  cause  to  call  their  mother  blessed. 

In  a  word,  my  brethren,  to  bring  this  discourse  to  a  con- 
clusion, a  woman  who  does  what  she  can  in  the  several  re- 
lations assigned  to  her  in  life,  is  the  fairest  embodiment  on 
earth,  of  Christian  principle  and  duty. 

Her  influence  over  man,  through  those  natural  avenues 
to  his  heart,  by  which  she  alone  can  approach,  is  almost  ir- 
resistible for  his  present  good  and  his  eternal  felicity. 

If  she  10 ill  do  what  she  can,  in  the  illustration  and  exem- 
plification of  our  holy  faith,  she  can  do  almost  what  she 
will  for  the  moral  and  spiritual  welfare  of  the  world.  But, 
to  accomplish  this,  she  must  understand  her  high  and  heav- 
enly mission. 

For  this  purpose,  she  must  be  trained  from  her  infancy 
in  the  knowledge  and  love  of  her  duties  towards  God  and 


SHE  HATH  DONE  WHAT  SHE.  COULD.  15; 

man.  In  line  upon  line,  and  precept  upon  precept,  must 
this  instruction  be  imparted.  With  persuasive  accents  — 
with  looks  of  love  —  with  unwearied  explanations  and  illus- 
trations—  with  consistent  and  holy  example  must  it  be  en- 
forced, until  it  is  received  into  the  heart,  and  there  sustain- 
ed by  the  habitual  endeavor  to  practice  what  has  been 
enjoined. 

In  secular  knowledge,  after  the  necessary  elementary 
study,  a  broad  and  deep  foundation  must  be  laid  in  those 
departments  of  study,  which  tend  to  strengthen  and  estab- 
lish the  mind,  and  improve  the  reasoning  faculties ;  nor 
should  the  lighter  accomplishments  of  a  woman,  for  which 
she  has  a  taste,  and  which  her  circumstances  allow  her  to 
pursue,  be  without  their  share  of  diligent  attention  ;  and 
this  course  should  be  pursued,  if  possible,  under  wise  and 
authoritative  direction,  till  its  effect  on  the  pupil's  mind  is 
evident  to  all,  and  she  has  acquired  both  a  taste  for  profita- 
ble knowledge  and  the  ability  to  appreciate  and  digest  her 
studies. 

When,  at  length,  she  enters  society,  it  should  be  under 
the  guardianship  of  one  capable  of  securing  her  against  its 
snares  and  dangers;  and  her  domestic  duties  —  her  intel- 
lectual improvement  —  her  social  pleasures,  and  her  offers 
of  charity  towards  the  poor  and  ignorant,  should  all  be  al- 
lowed their  fair  proportion  of  her  time. 

Thus  fitted  and  prepared  for  the  holy  estate  of  matrimo- 
ny, she  is  the  richest  prize  —  she  is  the  dearest  treasure 
this  earth  contains  for  man.  Let  her  be  entrusted  only  to 
one,  who  will  esteem  her  very  highly,  in  love  for  her  own> 
and  her  work's  sake. 

To  such  a  one  she  will  prove  a  wife,  including  in  herself 
"all joys ;"  to  his  children,  a  mother  who  will  fulfil  all  that 
the  sacred  name  imports ;  to  his  household  a  mistress  in 
whom  authority  will  be  graciously  tempered  with  love  ;  to 
society  an  ornament  and  a  blessing ;  and,  as  the  crown  and 
reward  of  all,  she  shall  have  the  answer  of  her  conscience, 


16  SHE  HATH  DONE  WHAT  SHE   COULD. 

and  the  testimony  of  her  God,  that  "  She  hath  done  what    \ 
she  could."  / 


Almighty  Gob,  who  through  thine  only  begotten  Son 
Jesus  Christ,  has  overcome  death,  and  opened  to  us  the 
gate  of  everlasting  life  j  we  humbly  beseech  thee 
that,  as  by  thy  special  grace  preventing  us,  that  dost 
put  into  our  minds"  good  desires  j  so  by  thy  continual 
help  we  may  bring  the  same  to  good  effect,  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  who  liveth  and  reigneth  with 
thee  and  the  holy  ghost,  ever  one  god,  world  with- 
OUT end.     Amen. 


* 


>* 


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